Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to Mission Zero - the Independent Review of Net Zero, if he will implement the review's recommendation to a publish a public engagement plan for England with clear metrics for successful engagement across different communities in the UK.by the end of 2023.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government published the results of Chris Skidmore’s Net Zero Review on 13 January 2023 and thanks the chair for conducting this review. The Government will carefully consider the recommendations and respond to the review later in the year.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an estimate of the proportion of UK greenhouse gas emissions from aviation that derived from flights where the plane was over 20 tonnes and equipped to carry fewer than 19 passengers in each of the last five years.
Answered by Graham Stuart
UK greenhouse gas emissions from aviation are compiled in the context of the UK’s Greenhouse Gas Inventory and this data is published annually in the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions national statistics. Emissions estimates for domestic and international aviation in each of the last five years up until 2020 can be found in tables 1.2 and 6.1 respectively, although these are not broken down by plane weight or number of passengers:
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether it remains the Government's policy to bring onshore wind planning policy in line with other infrastructure to allow it to be more easily deployed in England as set out in the Growth Plan 2022.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government seeks to respond to communities with concerns about the impact of wind turbines in England while also delivering cheaper, cleaner, more secure power including onshore wind. The Government will consider all options for increasing deployment in ways that local communities will support.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the Rosebank oil field with respect to the Government's objective to protect 30 per cent of the UK's oceans by 2030.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Offshore Petroleum Regulator for Environment & Decommissioning (OPRED) is in the process of considering the environmental statement submitted by Equinor in support of the proposed Rosebank development. As part this process, OPRED completes an Environmental Impact Assessment ; consulting with Statutory Nature Consultation Bodies, including the Joint Nature Conservation Committee and the Marine Management Organisation, which are key delivery partners of the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and will take into account the impact a project may have on the environment within marine protected areas, designated by UK Government and Devolved Administrations under relevant legislation.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the compatibility of Equinor developing the Rosebank oil field with the (a) decarbonisation targets for industry as described in the North Sea Transition Deal, (b) UK’s carbon budgets and net zero target and (c) UK’s obligations and commitments towards international climate targets.
Answered by Graham Stuart
New North Sea oil and gas fields are part of the managed decline of the basin’s production, reducing our dependence on imports from abroad and supporting UK employment in sectors vital to the transition to net zero.
Development proposals for oil fields are dealt with by the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) and the Offshore Petroleum Regulator for Environment and Decommissioning (OPRED). The NSTA’s monitoring and assessment of future emissions from UK Continental Shelf production includes all new projects. Its 2022 report can be found here: https://www.nstauthority.co.uk/news-publications/publications/2022/emissions-monitoring-report-2022/.
The North Sea Transition Deal's emissions reduction targets take into account an absolute reduction in production on the pathway to net zero by 2050. The Government's Net Zero Strategy sets out how those targets are consistent with the UK meeting its Nationally Determined Contribution and Carbon Budgets.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an assessment of the effect of pharmaceutical companies control of intellectual property on UK capacity to manufacturing covid-19 (a) vaccines and (b) therapeutic treatments.
Answered by George Freeman
The Government considers that the Intellectual Property (IP) framework has played an essential and positive role in the response to the pandemic. It has provided confidence for pharmaceutical innovators to both invest in R&D and form collaborative manufacturing partnerships, built upon trust and cooperation, thereby driving innovation. These voluntary licensing and technology transfer partnerships, have contributed to the rapid production of COVID-19 technologies, including unprecedented levels of manufacture of COVID-19 vaccines. IP has and will continue to allow us to meet our ultimate goal of saving lives.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department has had discussions with British Gas regarding (a) their closure of applications for the Warm Home Discount scheme for 2021-22 and (b) a date for reopening the scheme in 2022-23.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The ‘Broader Group’ is the only application-based element of the Warm Home Discount scheme. Energy suppliers are responsible for administering their own Broader Group processes, including deciding how they award rebates to their customers.
The Government consulted last summer on reforms to the scheme that would enable the vast majority of customers to receive their rebate automatically, without the need to apply. The Government will publish the response to the consultation in the spring, with the reforms coming into force from the 2022/23 scheme year.